Gas prices rising as summer heat, traffic increases

In North Carolina, three things can be expected to rise during each summer: temperatures, the amount of traffic on the road and gas prices.

On Wednesday, the average price for a gallon of gas in Kinston was $3.51, 10 cents under the national average, but 3 cents higher than the state average for the month of July.

In June, the average for North Carolina was $3.43. Although prices dropped to $3.38 on July 8, there was an 18 cent increase to $3.56 in the state by July 21.

Fransesca Hyatt — who resides in Durham, but was in Kinston on Wednesday on business — said gas prices were high and it has her finding methods to combat the costs. But because of her job reimbursing her when she traveled for work, she wasn’t as affected.

“I’m in a position of privilege, but the rise for those who need gas to get by hurts,” Hyatt said. “On one hand, I understand gas is a limited resource, but on the other hand, it really affects a lot of people. Still, when I go out for non-work related trips, I’ll see if I can carpool with friends to cut costs.”

Angela Daley, Carolina AAA director of communications, said the prices spiked this month because crude oil prices rose amid political unrest in Egypt.

“This was the first time the price of a barrel went up to over $100 since May 2012,” Daley said. “In fact, the price was $108 in comparison to $95 or $96 a month or two ago. We saw the spike because oil is transferred through the Suez Canal, which is a major shipping route in the Middle East. Egypt doesn’t produce a lot of oil, but their command over the route was a major concern, which provides a spike. Even though nothing happened, the concern drives prices higher.”

The price of crude oil had dropped to $103.08 as of Wednesday, but gas prices are still a concern for citizens.

“The prices are outrageous,” Kinston resident Angela Grady said. “We were planning on going to the beach next week, but the price of gas is going to hit me in the wallet.”

Daley said there hadn’t been much of a change in the amount of travelers on the road between this year and last year.

“Once we get closer to $4 (per gallon), people start limiting their time on the road,” Daley said. “Even though we saw prices rise pretty significantly over a week, people didn’t start restricting their travel plans. The normal threshold is considered to be $3.50. It’s a good sign the prices are stabilizing, but we still have all of August to go through, and we usually see prices rise in July and August.”

As August approaches, the thought of gas possibly rising is unwelcome news to most Kinston residents, including Sally St. John.

“I wish prices would just go down and stay there,” she said.

Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.